Diversity and Children's Literature

GRADE LEVEL: Elementary School

Overview

In recent years, there has been a lot of attention on the diversity of children’s books, shining a light on the lack of diversity of characters and authors. This has amplified the need for more children’s and young adult literature that reflects our diverse society. In 2014, an organization called We Need Diverse Books formed, following a trending hashtag with the same name that helped bring attention to the issue. 

In this activity, students will: 

• Learn about the effort to increase the diversity of children’s books.
• Reflect on the importance of diverse children’s books, including “window” and “mirror” books.